The present invention relates to a collapsible and twistable or turnable container/bottle that collapses and dispenses liquid in a predetermined exacting dosage. Furthermore, the present invention provides an audible and/or tactile means for indicating to the user the exact amount of liquid being dispensed. Basically, the invention comprises a cylindrical, bottle-shaped, preferably thin-walled plastic, collapsible container having exterior screw threads and a closing and nozzle-providing cap attached to the bottle. In one embodiment, the bottle is provided with a surrounding collar having at least one thread-like turn, near its open end. The bottle can be rotated and thus collapsed into the collar secured to the distal or open end of the bottle. The bottle is provided with one or more surface discontinuities on its helical surface and cooperates with an inwardly protruding and resilient lug of the collar to provide for audible and/or tactile metered dosing of liquid from the bottle.
Alternatively, the bottle is provided with a turnable nozzle or cap element relative to the bottle section with the cap element having a plurality of internal screw threads. The interior screw threads of the cap element, with a nozzle opening for release of the contents of the bottle, cooperate with the exterior screw threads of the bottle section which allow the bottle to be turned and twisted with respect to the cap element and thus collapsed into the cap. Stated differently, the helical threads of the bottle component are turned and twisted and received into the threads of the cap and the threads of the cap, being closer together (having greater number of threads per unit of length than that of the uncollapsed bottle section) cause the bottle to collapse along its length and be stored within the cap element.
Extending around the outside of the bottle portion of the container and spanning the length of the same, is an external set of screw threads. These coil around the circumference of the bottle, starting near the closed top thereof and ending at the point where the bottom or open end of the bottle meets the cap element, having the dispensing nozzle. In one embodiment, the cap element is secured to the bottle and a collar is provided which collects the threads of the collapsible bottle, as it is turned and collapsed into the collar. Alternatively, in another embodiment, Inside the cap element, and extending around its internal circumference, is a matching set of screw threads (i.e., matching in outside diameter to the screw threads of the bottle) which cooperate with the screw threads of the outside of the bottle portion. In either embodiment, when the bottle is turned with respect to the collar or when the cap element with internal threads is turned with respect to the bottle component, the threads of the outside of the bottle engage a single thread of the collar or the threads of the internal surface of the cap element. Turning with respect to one another causes the longitudinal collapse of the bottle (wither collected within the collar or collected by the cap element) as the screw threads are received and held within the screw thread of the collar or the internal threads of the cap element. In the embodiment having the collar, one end of the collar has an interior-directed flange which causes the screw thread of the bottle to enter the collar and be collapsed and maintained there, i.e., within the open or head space of the collar. Alternatively, in the embodiment with the internal screw threads for the cap element, the screw threads of the cap element are closer to one another than the uncollapsed screw threads of the bottle, the relative turning causes a longitudinal collapse and securement of the bottle within the cap element.
Important to the present invention is an audible and/or tactile mechanism, preferably a set of spaced recesses on the outside of the bottle section (either discontinuities on the outside edge of the screw thread of the bottle or on a portion of the plane defining the helical screw thread) which cooperate with a fixed and inwardly protruding yet resilient lug on the inside of the collar or cap element (depending upon embodiment). Of course, the lugs and discontinuities could be reversed, i.e., resilient tabs spaced around the exterior of the bottle cooperating with a recess on the inside of the collar or cap element) so that each time a recess passes by the resilient lug (in the preferred embodiment) an audible sound of plastic snapping (from movement of the lug out of and then into the recess) is heard and/or a tactile “snap” is felt so that the user is alerted to the precise rotation of bottle section with respect to collar or cap element and this, in turn, relates to precise measure of dispensed liquid—as the recesses are located and uniformly spaced about the device, i.e., on the helical screw threads or the edge of the screw threads of the bottle section. Thus, each relative rotation of the bottle with respect to the cap element, either a ¼, ½ or full turn, for example, will make an audible “snap” as the lug first glides over and along the outside edge of the helical screw thread until it snaps into the recess (a surface discontinuity in the smooth edge of the screw thread) and/or a tactile snap is felt, too, alerting the user that a predetermined amount of bottle length has been captured in the collar or cap element and, thus, the predetermined amount of liquid dispensed (as the cap or inside threaded cap element has an opening or nozzle passing therethrough, allowing liquid to flow from bottle section, through hollow cap element (after the closure to the nozzle of the cap is removed) and then through the nozzle opening).
The snap mating of discontinuities and lug or tabs can also act as a locking feature to prevent the bottle from being screwed back out (extending the same from its collapsed partial or full condition). The lug or tabs can be unidirectional, like a ratchet, allowing for one way turning movement of bottle with respect to collar or cap element (collapsing the same and dispensing material) but not allowing for reverse relative turning of the bottle with respect to the collar or cap element, after the discontinuity of the bottle has been captured by the tab or lug of the collar or cap element.
The unique, possibly iconic shape and mechanical design of the bottle and collar or cap element with nozzle (different embodiments, each of which cooperates with a bellows-like externally screw threaded bottle section) allows the bottle to collapse into the chamber formed within the collar or cap element while giving a positive reassurance signal (a clicking sound and/or feel) to the user each time a certain “preferred” amount of twisting is accomplished, correlating to an amount of liquid or at least partially viscous material being dispensed. Texutre, too, along the bottle wall can be employed to advantage, which can mechanically engage or interfere with the lug of the collap/cap elemnt iin a manner that a subtle ratcheting noise is provided when relative turning is performed.
The bottle section, threads, the collar and/or cap element, its single thread or multiple threads, respectively, are designed so that a specific angular relative rotation of the holding chamber or bottle section with respect to the collar or cap element, or a sensed number of clicks, indicates a certain amount of liquid dispensed for that amount of turning. As an example, if one turn, or a 90 degree rotation, dispenses 50 milliliters of fluid, then in order to dispense 100 milliliters, a user would twist the bottle for a 180 degree rotation, or until two clicks are heard or felt.
The twistable bottle section and collar/cap element makes possible this controlled, incremental dispensing of liquid by creating a clicking sound, possibly in combination with an increased resistance and/or the feel of the bottle having found a “resting place” within the collar/cap element, every time the unique corkscrew-like shaped bottle with equally spaced registration recesses or protrusions, tabs or marks align with and cause the tab or lug on the inside of the collar/cap element to glide over the smooth edge of the helical screw threads (or on a plane of the helical thread) of the bottle section until the lug snaps, by its resilience, into the recess or surface discontinuity of the screw thread of the bottle section. As the lug or inwardly directed tab of the collar/cap element contacts and passes into the discontinuity/recess of the bottle section, the lug's resilience to snap back to its shape before being caused to glide over the outer edge (or planar surface) of the helical screw threads of the bottle section will cause a click to be audible or tactilely sensed. This signals that a measured dose of liquid is dispensed, with a specific measurement correlated with each relative angular turn or twist of the bottle.
As an additional feature of the present invention, instead, as is common in conventional soda or liquid dispensing bottles, where the bottle or chamber portion becoming increasingly empty as the liquid is dispensed, according to the present invention, the overall volume or size of the bottle shrinks. Through each successive twist of the bottle with respect to the collar or cap element, the exterior-directed screw threads of the chamber are screwed into and collapsed and maintained by the internally-directed screw threads of the collar/cap element. Once the top of the bottle (which can serve as the bottom of the bottle when dispensing is not occurring, i.e. the base of the bottle section can be the sitting point of the bottle on a table until and unless liquid is desirably dispensed) is compressed by turning and reaches the top lip of the collar/cap element by the exterior screw threads of the bottle being captured within the internal screw thread/threads of the collar/cap element, respectively, the device is fully collapsed and can be discarded. As taught above, the screw threads of the exterior of the bottle will be captured within the collar/cap element by the internally and matingly sized screw thread of the collar or the interal screw threads of the cap element. The screw threads of the cap element are closer together than the screw threads of the outside of the bottle, at least before engagement with the threads of the cap element. The compression of the volume of the threaded bottle compartment into the collar or into the cap element correlates with dispensing of the concentrated liquid through the opening of the nozzle of the cap of the device as the liquid is substantially incompressible such that once air within the bottle is squeezed out, further turns of bottle with respect to collar or cap element cause the liquid to flow out and through the aperture/channel of the nozzle from the cap. Depending on the viscosity of the liquid being dispensed, different nozzle details (with or without silicon gaskets or equivalent) can be used to prevent unwanted spillage or liquid overflow.
There are multiple advantages to this collapsible design, including, but not limited to, that few injection molded parts are necessary to the functionality of the invention (i.e. a cap instead of a cap and a base). Alternatively, in the embodiment of the invention using a bottle section, a cap secured to the bottle (with a sealing cap and a pour opening or nozzle chamber) and a collar, while more parts are needed, they are inexpensive, easy to make and provide an excellent solution to the problem of providing an inexpensive, collapsible, fluid-dispenisng bottle, which provides for precisely metered dosing or dispensing of fluid/material.
When the external screw threaded or corkscrew-shaped bottle base is twisted and collapsed into the hollow chamber defined by the interior of the collar or in the other embodiment, the chamber of the cap element, the compression of the bottle, acting on the incompressible liquid contained therein, once the air is first expelled, mechanically dispenses the liquid. Small and resilient tabs or recesses/registration marks (often referred to herein as surface discontinuities) are distributed at regular intervals along the length of the exterior screw threads of the bottle, either on the plane of the screw thread or directly on the edge of the screw thread. These discontinuities, whether tabs or recesses, will align with and then glide over a single corresponding inwardly protruding lug or inwardly projected tab in the rim of the collar or the cap element. Or, in the preferred embodiment, the lug of the collar or of the cap element glides over the screw threads of the bottle section until the lug/tab snaps into the discontinuity or recess of the screw thread. As a consequence of the gliding over and then resilient snapping back of the lug (from being bent outwardly by the relative protruding edge of the threads of the bottle section vis a vis the recess or discontinuity) as the bottle is turned with respect to the collar or the cap element, a clicking sound, which signals a full or partial rotation of the bottle into the base, occurs. This audible and tactile signal indicates an amount of relative turning and correspondingly indicates a predetermined dosage of liquid being pushed out of the nozzle of the cap. Since the recesses or protruding tabs are all the same size and all equally spaced apart along the spiral defined by the exterior screw threads of the bottle, each full or partial rotation allows for an equal dosage of liquid to dispense through the pour opening or the nozzle. The clicking sound and/or tactile feel alerts the user that the measured dose of liquid, i.e. the amount which correlates to each partial or full turn of the bottle, has been dispensed.
In one embodiment, an additional advantage to the present invention is provided such that the bottle component of the invention is removable and disposable, and ideally recyclable. This allows a user to merely purchase replacement bottles filled with desired liquid (most likely medicine or a viscous liquid-like soap or detergent) while reusing the collar or the cap element, the latter having a dispensing nozzle. Replacement bottle sections, filled with new dispensable viscous material, can have a simple closure or seal (or a safety and/or hinged cap) which is removed when the bottle is initially intended to be used. In the embodiment employing a collar, the bottle is provided with a closure and a hinged cap for the pour opening. When the bottle is turned, the cap and hinged cap may turn but turning of the bottle causes the dollar to received the turns of the screw threads of the bottle which are then captured in the open head end of the collar—thus compressing the bottle within the collar. In the embodiment employing a cap element with a plurality of screw threads for receipt of the helical threads of the bottle, the bottle section is screwed into the cap element. Since, in both embodiments, the bottles are all designed to be somewhat uniform and thus most will fit in and collapse into a standard collar or cap element, only one may need to be purchased for each type of collapsing device (whether of the collar variety or the cap element with multiple internal screw threads). In an alternate embodiment, the bottle components could be refillable and reusable. In another embodiment, of course, the bottle section and the collar/cap element are disposed upon full dispensing of the liquid and collapsing of the bottle within the collar or the cap element. Different shaped bottles with different thread dimensions and recess locations (discontinuities) will be able to deliver different products at different preferred and meansured dosages.
A principal thrust of the present invention lies in the audible and/or tactile “notification” to the user that a relative turn or twist has been made by the bottle enough to discharge a pre-determined amount of liquid from within the bottle and out through the pour opening or nozzle of the cap. When a user turns the bottle with respect to the capturing thread(s) of the collar or cap element, such that it begins to coil into the collar/cap element, a specified amount of liquid is dispensed.
In the collar and cap element embodiments, the first having a single screw thread to coil the bottle as it is turned and the other having multiple interior screw threads, the collar or the cap element is a substantially hollow accepting or “holding chamber” for the liquid to be dispensed through so that when its contents are dispensed out the nozzle or pour opening, an equal amount of liquid takes its place in the chamber, ready to be dispensed by a subsequent relative rotation of bottle section (holding the bulk of the liquid) and the collar or cap element. According to the embodiments of the invention, upon each partial or full rotation, the bottle section pushes on a tab which otherwise inwardly protrudes from the collar or cap element. This serves two functions. First, it can open the aperture or channel/liquid pathway at the bottom of the collar or cap element (if the tab otherwise blocks the nozzle) which allows the liquid to pass through and be dispensed and second, as the bottle/container is turned and the tab/recess of the bottle realigns with another lug or tab in the inside chamber of the collar or cap element, the tab will resiliently “snap” back into place, making a clearly audible and/or tactile clicking sound or feel. This snapping will also communicate to the user (as the plastic of the bottle and the liquid contained therein seem to amplify or at least transmit the snap) into a tactile feel. This indicates to the user that the desired amount of liquid, or that amount equal to one full or partial turn of the container, has been dispensed. To dispense more liquid than the per-turn dosage, a user must simply continue to twist the bottle until they hear as many clicks as are equal to the amount desired. This will cause dispensing of the liquid in relation to the clicks heard or felt and, at the same time, cause the bottle component to shrink or be captured into the collar/cap element, as the screw threads of the bottle section are captured by the collar or the cap element. Thus, for example, if the separation of screw threads of the bottle section, when filled with liquid, is 1 screw thread for each inch of length of bottle then, realistically, the screw thread separation in the cap element may be compacted to about 5 threads per inch. This would allow 10 inches of bottle length to be compressed into 2 inches of cap element. In the embodiment wherein a collar is used which has a single compressing helical screw thread at its distal end, i.e., opposite the open end of the bottle, the open head of the collar allows for many multiple turns of thread of the bottle section to be contained as the bottle section is rotated vis a vis the collar.
The audible and/or tactile sensor is extremely useful to alert users as to how far to rotate the container to dispense the desired amount of liquid. For individuals who are not skilled in mathematics, or who may not remember the exact measurement of liquid needed, it would be extremely easy to instruct them, for example, to “turn three clicks.” This way, when the user hears the number of tab “snap backs” or they feel that number of clicks, they know they have completed the proper dispensation of the desired dosage. This prevents a user from turning the container too much or too little, especially in the case where it may contain a medicine which requires precise measurement.
Visual markers may also be integrated into the label or the side wall of the bottle that correspond with the snap feature. For example, for a medication there can be a date printed adjacent each snap feature so an elderly patient can easily and accurately keep track of the last time (date) they took their medicine. The nap feature, i.e., combination of surface discontinuity in the side wall or thread of the bottle section and the tab or lug of the collar or cap element, along the length of the bottle section can serve as a timeline and reminder to the patient seeing precise dosage of medication.